A Horse for River
by Still Waiting for Aliens
Summary: Kaylee goes with Simon and River on a therapeutic trip to the cinema. Might as well take advantage the chance, right? SxK. R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

_A Horse for River _

__"Kaylee, we'll be gone for a few hours, and Wash is out restocking the ship," by which Mal meant: haggling with store owners for the lowest price on foodstuffs, "so you should be able to fix the whatever it was without anybody buggin' you." He, Zoe and Jayne were going out to line up whatever new, exciting job that the whole crew would be part of next.

"It's a drive feed modulator, not a 'whatever'." She crossed her arms playfully over her chest.

"And how am I supposed to remember that?" Mal said in a tone that indicated the pride he had in his mechanic.

"Captain, if we're late, Badger will find more excuses to not give us the job," Zoe interrupted with slight impatience.

"Don't he do that anyway?" Jayne shouted from the end of the cargo bay.

"Yes, but we should give the man as few excuses as possible, Jayne. It's respectful and makes him give us money." And with that Mal left, followed by Jayne and Zoe.

* * *

><p>Fixing the modulator proved to be a relatively simple task. Kaylee had thought that the rattling sound it had been producing would mean she'd have to jerry-rig up some catch to hold the coil of wires inside the front of the modulator. It turned out that the rattling was caused by two corroded bolts that held the coil in place falling and getting tossed around as the engine turned. Still, the modulator was starting to go bad, so she spent the extra time cleaning all the connections until they were free of the corrosion that the drive fluid inevitably caused. It would keep the modulator good for a little while longer while she searched for a new one.<p>

She looked over the engine, making sure everything was in place, including the almost-new compression coil (which she ran her hand over lovingly). She tightened a few loose bolts, but most everything was in place still from the last time something had blown (a couple of days ago), namely a piston for the hydraulics.

She quickly went through her mental list of any problems she could remember, and, finding no new ones that hadn't been fixed, she left and went to her room with the plan to sit on her bed and read a book. Maybe she'd even go so far as to munch on one of those chocolates she had hidden in a box on her shelf. Yep, she'd definitely bust into those chocolates.

* * *

><p>"River, what would you say to a little trip?"<p>

"Can't go on a trip: legs don't fly." River shot her brother her patented look that was normally interpreted as "you're a boob".

"Alright then,what would you say to a brief excursion to the movies?"

"Safety is like air."

Simon interpreted that as "will it be safe?". Then again, she could be saying something else...

"It'll be safe, I doubt anyone would look for us in this city." He hoped. River really needed to leave the ship sometimes, it helped her. Normally, it wasn't a problem, they landed on back-country worlds that hardly had enough population to bring in any Feds. On Persephone, it would be more of a challenge, but doable. She'd made enough progress in recent months to start to be reintroduced to people, to a normal life. A movie was a place where she'd only have to see people briefly, and she could let her wild imagination fly to fill in the gaps in the movie.

River seemed to consider her sibling's proposition. "Go ask Kaylee to come," she said, suddenly coherent.

"Wh-What?" The thought of asking the pretty mechanic to the movies, even just to help him keep an eye on his sister made him feel nervous.

"Don't want to leave her alone. Book is off with his symbol, and Inara is..." she giggled for a second, "entertaining someone." She had recently discovered what Inara's true occupation was, and it made her giggle, though only she knew why.

Now it was Simon's turn to consider his sibling's proposition. It wasn't as if Kaylee would be completely alone, she'd probably be working on the engine of Serenity. Then again, she'd help be cover for the two of them. This was the sort of world she thrived in, and he stuck out like a fancy necklace on a patch of dirt. Add River into the equation, and the two of them would attract a lot of attention.

"If you don't ask her, I will. And probably mention that thing you dreamt about..."

"You wouldn't."

River had a look on her face that said "try me".

Resigned to this little twist of fate, he headed towards the engine room. "If she's busy, I'm not going to bother her."

"She's not busy. And you're going the wrong way."

* * *

><p>Kaylee had flipped to her favorite part of the book she had pulled off her shelf. It was the part where the dashing, if odd, hero confessed his love to the not-quite-princess (she actually was a princess, but she didn't know that yet), who had just led him on a whirlwind adventure to follow her dream. It was Kaylee's favorite scene, taking place on a calm lake with twinkly stars. She'd never really seen a lake, so the scene was all the more magical to her. She had just gotten to where the hero had started to say "I love you" when she heard a knock on her door.<p>

"Come on in," she called.

The shiny shoes that soon appeared revealed her visitor to be Simon. Her mind, still partially attached to the world of the book, thought of Simon saying he loved her, and she blushed. A small blush, but a blush nonetheless.

"You need somethin', Simon?"

He looked at his feet and then at her, but not quite. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies."

The words just hung in the air for a tiny moment, Kaylee a little too shocked to respond. Did he just ask her out?

"I mean, because I'm taking River, and she didn't want you to be alone, and besides, you could help me make sure we don't get any unwanted attention, keep an eye out for Feds..." His words came out in a rush, like one of those run-on sentences he had been taught about as a young student.

His nerve-induced rant seemed to bring Kaylee out of her minor shock. She had been afraid for a moment that she wouldn't have been able to respond, she was so surprised.

"Sure! Tell River I'd be happy to come."

Simon seemed to loosen a little.

"And I'll help keep ya both safe. Don't worry. Just give me a moment to get ready, I'll be right up."

* * *

><p><em>This was just a little story that made it's slow way into my mind and then practically wrote itself, and <em>_here's the beginning. I had originally intended for this to be a one-shot, but it sort of got away from me. I hope you're enjoying it. _

_As always R&R/flame away,_

_Chocolate and ruffles,_

_far from the home I love_


	2. Chapter 2

_Let me make this known now, since I forgot to mention it last time: My sister is my "editor" and she is all-too-often in charge of polishing my work. She edited this twice to help make it solid. She's my characterization/grammar/plot polishing angel. _

_I don't own Firefly or the characters, blah, blah, blah..._

* * *

><p>Forty-five minutes later, River, Kaylee and Simon were standing outside the theater deciding what to watch. They had blended into the crowds with relative ease, River in her favorite pink dress, Kaylee in the only casual dress she owned and Simon in a sweater and pair of jeans. They'd even sneaked into Wash and Zoe's room and grabbed Simon a pair of sneakers. The walk over had been uneventful, and River had managed to get excited only over the stilt walkers that were performing, only delaying them for about fifteen minutes. Now, they were finally in front of the theater.<p>

"River, I really don't think that would be an appropriate movie," Simon said when she suggested a violent action film. One, he felt a violent movie could scare her; two, he had no interest in watching it.

"But Jayne's in it!" True enough, one of the actors on the poster looked somewhat like him.

"River, I-"

"What about this one?" Kaylee was pointing to a movie about a princess and a knight and an adventure. "I bet there's a horse in it."

"A horse?" River's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yep, there's probably a bunch of horses."

"Simon?"

Simon didn't have any particular interest in seeing a girly movie about a princess, but he had no objection to it. More importantly, he was outvoted by two women whom he loved. "Alright, princesses it is. Kaylee, can you go get the tickets?"

Kaylee grabbed River by the hand and went to stand in line, leaving Simon to stand by himself by the marquee.

The two of them looked like best friends, or even sisters, Simon mused silently. He was so glad for Kaylee's presence in the life of his sister. Kaylee had always been willing to play with her, to talk to her, and was not constantly afraid of her. He remembered when River had said something about how much she loved Kaylee, her "sister-friend". He smiled, then frowned. If only he could show her how much he cared as easily as his sister did.

His sister's laugh traveled back to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Kaylee had said something that made the girl laugh loudly, perhaps a little too loudly.

"What's so funny, River?"

"You," she smiled. "You and shoes."

Simon looked at Kaylee. She just smiled back at him. He wouldn't be getting an answer out of either.

River handed him the tickets. The theater Kaylee had brought them to still used paper tickets, a huge relief for him. It would make it easier for all three to go unnoticed.

Simon opened the door and the three entered. He handed the tickets to the usher, who pointed them to the theater where the movie was showing.

"Wait." Kaylee was fumbling in a little pocket on her belt. "It's not a movie without popcorn!"

She stopped at the concession stand and put a coin in the machine. It dumped the popcorn in a paper bag, and she grabbed it. "We can share," she said, holding the bag out to her companions. Kaylee picked up a couple of pieces and ate them.

River reached a tentative hand towards the bag and gingerly picked up a single puffy piece. She popped it in her mouth.

"Mmm..it's good, Simon! Try some!" She grabbed her brother's hand and brought it toward the bag.

He already knew how good popcorn was, but he humored her anyway. He took a single piece from the top of the bag, chewed it, and smiled at River. "Mmm..."

She smiled back at him, a smile of pure and infectious joy. Then, she grabbed his hand and Kaylee's and led them towards the theater. She opened the door, went inside and excitedly searched for seats.

River seated them specifically, giving orders for where to sit. Placing herself at the end, then her brother, then Kaylee. As the theater darkened for the previews, she asked for Kaylee to pass the popcorn.

Kaylee whispered to Simon, "Y'know what people normally do at the movies?"

He looked at her. "What?" he whispered back.

"Make out."

He looked at her, blinked out of shock, and then turned to the screen, too surprised to speak. He was quiet for the rest of the preview, then turned to her and said, "River's here."

She looked at him and then looked at River, who was watching the preview intensely. "She won't notice."

"She would."

River looked at them and said in a loud whisper, "Shh. The picture's moving now." Then she turned back to the screen.

Twenty-seven minutes into the film, River looked at Kaylee, who was now staring at the screen, her arms wrapped around her knees. Then she glanced at her brother, who was watching the movie with mild interest. She wished for the umpteenth time that he wasn't as freaked out about her as he was. She knew her brother had given up so much and found her broken. She hated that he couldn't be as happy as he was meant to be. She wanted her plan to work. She wanted her best friend and her brother to make each other happy.

Simon was thinking about Kaylee. He was thinking about last time they had watched a movie. One of the jobs had involved a movie projector and she had hunted up a huge tarp and turned the cargo hold into a theater. She had proved herself to be a cuddler, sitting next to Mal, who had an arm thrown lightly around her shoulders and her head resting on his shoulder. Her knees had been pulled up to her chest, just as they were now. He had been thinking about how much he would have liked to have her head on his shoulder throughout the movie. It wouldn't be a problem to put an arm around her, would it? River wouldn't panic, would she?

So he did.

She looked up at him before resting her head against his shoulder. She unwrapped her arms from around her legs and slipped one around him.

They stayed like that for a long time, happy as they could be, looking at each other more than the screen, until Kaylee reached up and kissed his cheek very gently. He looked at her.

"S'ok,Simon. I won't do it again," she whispered.

He shook his head and (why in the 'verse not?) very gently kissed her.

To say the least she was surprised. But that didn't change the way she responded.

* * *

><p>River suddenly looked over to see her brother's face making contact with Kaylee's. Very long contact. She was glad that her plan succeeded, but she didn't need to see <em>that.<em>

* * *

><p><em>Part II,<br>_

_This story has been gathering figurative dust on my hard drive for too long. _

_The Kaylee in me is glad to make others happy with it._

As always, R&R, because we're always on quests to better our writing.

-Far from the Home I love


	3. Chapter 3

_This is the short, but sweet ending. A very special thank you to Riona for writing a GREAT review. More people need to leave really well-thought-out reviews.  
>Without further ado: The conclusion.<em>

_I don't owe Firefly, or any of the characters (particularly Simon, sigh)._

* * *

><p>The two of them kissed right through the end of the movie. As the credits started and the lights began to come back up, the pair of them stopped and looked at each other. Each amazed that the moment had happened.<p>

River got up and left the row first, and the two of them followed. Outside, she voiced her complaints: "There weren't any horses."

"River, honey, I'm sorry. Thought f'certain there would be." Kaylee swung Simon's hand back and forth as they walked. "Tell y'what though, there's a little store on the corner up there, we'll find you something to make up for it."

They followed River into the store who immediately found the toy aisle, which had a full shelf of model horses. She picked out a small, dark one that fit in her hand. As Kaylee paid for the tiny horse, she saw some strawberry-flavored lip balm and picked up one for herself.

The three walked back to the ship; River, galloping her horse in front of her, and Kaylee licking her strawberry-flavored lips.

"You know that by licking your lips, you're negating the effects of the lip balm, right?" Simon said in his most medical tone.

She smiled and gave him a quick peck. "Tastes good, huh?"

He blushed.

* * *

><p>When they arrived, River showed her horse to Wash, Zoe and anyone else who would pay attention.<p>

"Thank you," Simon said, squeezing Kaylee's hand. "You didn't have to do this."

"Didn't cost but a lil' bit," she said. "Not a problem."

"Not just for that, for the whole afternoon." He smiled.

Kaylee smiled back. "Even less of a problem."

At that moment, River decided it would be a good idea to charge down the corridor with her horse, neighing. Simon followed.

Kaylee saw the look she got from Inara.

"I think you have a story to tell me, _mei mei_." The gleam in Inara's eyes revealed she already knew.

"Sure do."

* * *

><p>Simon found his sister standing quietly outside his quarters.<p>

"You gonna thank me?"

"What?"

She gave him that "you're a boob" look again. "You gonna thank me?"

* * *

><p><em>So, R&amp;R, please and thank you.<br>Thanks to the reviewers, the favorite-ers, and the subscribers. (hug)_

_far from the home I love _


End file.
